The iSchool at UBC joined the British Columbia Library Association and Libraries & Literacy, B.C. Ministry of Education, in hosting Changing Times: Inspiring Libraries, a gathering of leaders in library innovation and community engagement in early December. The reports and speeches, including videos of some speakers, have been posted at http://commons.bclibraries.ca/inspiringlibraries2012/ . Explore the links and be part of the important conversation on libraries in BC communities.
The Faculty of Arts is pleased to announce the creation of new Research Awards for Graduate (PhD and MA) students. These awards are designed to help Graduate students with their research program associated with their degree. Awards are up to $1000 and are to cover the costs of travel and other research-related expenses (but not conference or workshop attendance and travel).
Description:
The Faculty of Arts Graduate Research Awards are to assist graduate students (PhD and MA) based in the Faculty in research directly associated with their degree program. Funds can be used for travel and direct research expenses.
Terms of Award:
· These awards are for research-related expenses only, and applicants need to make clear how the funds will be used and how they directly relate to the program of research.
· Awards are for up to $1000.
· Students may only hold this award once during their degree program.
· Awards must be used within one year of the date the grant is awarded.
· Travel expenses are permitted, however funds cannot be used for conference or workshop attendance.
· Salaries (for the applicant or for others) cannot be funded with these awards.
· Funds are released to a research grant held by the applicant’s primary supervisor.
Application Procedures:
Please see full details at: http://www.arts.ubc.ca/research/grant-funding-opportunities/funding-opportunities/arts-graduate-research-awards/
Three iSchool faculty members have been featured this month in several media outlets, including CTV and the Vancouver Sun.
Professor Judith Saltman offers her thoughts on young adult fiction and its appeal in an interview feature in the December 2012 edition of UBC Reports, a publication for the 50,000 members of the UBC community, as well as the wider community in Vancouver and British Columbia. Professor Saltman was also featured as an expert in a Vancouver Sun article examining the value of popular series fiction for teens, providing her perspective on why popular titles like The Hunger Games and Harry Potter resonate with teen readers. Click here to read the full article.
Meanwhile, Assistant Professor Eric Meyers was featured in a news segment on book apps for children, which aired on CTV News last week. In it he addresses the value of enriching children’s literacy experiences through apps, calling for more evidence before determining if apps provide children with a better experience, and encouraging parents to make careful choices. Dr. Meyers was also interviewed for The Changing Library, a feature in Trek Magazine that examines how libraries are positioning themselves by focusing on services, spaces and technology as well as content.
Assistant Professor Lisa Nathan, along with Dr. Daniel Heath Justice, was interviewed and featured in the November 2012 issue of Dialogues, the UBC Centre for Teaching and Learning Technology’s newsletter. Dr. Nathan and Dr. Justice presented a workshop for university faculty members on engaging students with a new web resource called Indigenous Foundations.
Finally, Assistant Professor Victoria Lemieux is featured for her work in visual analytics in the current issue of Innovations, the newsletter of the UBC Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Sciences. The article is titled “Tools for Thought: Using Visual Analytics to Gain Insight into the Deluge of Data,” by Mari-Lou Rowley.
Those of you considering your options for next term might want to review the many professional experience projects we have open. See current opportunities at http://blogs.ubc.ca/ischoolnews/category/professional-experience/. These are excellent options for those nearing graduation, seeking networking and career exploration options, and looking for more material for the resume.
If you are interested in seeing project proposal, please contact Heather at slais.admissions@ubc.ca.
from Michelle Mallette, Student Services Coordinator
Happy holidays to all of you as your wrap up your courses, practicum and other activities.
I’m using this forum to let you all know that I have accepted another position at UBC and will be leaving the School as of January 11. It’s been an absolute pleasure getting to know you all, and I wish you the greatest success in your studies and your future careers, wherever they take you. I’m very proud to call you my colleagues now and in the future.
The process of hiring a new coordinator is underway but these things take time, so please contact Heather Shand or Debra Locke if you unable to find the answers to your questions. Tip: Start with Program FAQs.
My new position is Director of Student Academic Services in the Faculty of Science, so I won’t be too far away, and I’m sure our paths will literally cross on campus in the future.
And for those who are late getting the news because you don’t check these announcements very often …. (grin)
Best wishes,
Michelle Mallette
Welcome to the new SLAISmatters e-newsletter, a fresh and lively way to share with our community all the news from the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies, the iSchool at The University of British Columbia. We are planning two winter editions and one summer edition, replacing our twice-yearly PDF newsletters. In addition to communicating our news and events more efficiently, we are hoping the e-format will be easier for you to share.
We are also ready for another change: a new name for the newsletter. For this we invite your ideas. What name captures the spirit of all the hard work of faculty, staff, students, alumni and everyone else here at the iSchool? Email your submissions to slais.gradsec@ubc.ca by Friday, January 18. If your suggestion is chosen, you will win your choice of a $100 gift card to the UBC Bookstore, Best Buy or Chapters. (If two or more people suggest the same name, a draw will determine the gift card winner.)
Until then, it’s time to enjoy this first issue. Please let us know what you think by emailing us at slais.info@ubc.ca with your thoughts. We look forward to hearing from you.
Less than a year after completing his Masters of Arts in Children’s Literature at UBC, with a thesis in young adult literature exploring queer sexual identity and religion, Rob Bittner began doctoral studies at Simon Fraser University, in the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies. His growing expertise in the topic attracted the attention of the British Columbia Library Association’s Young Adult and Children’s Services section (YAACS), leading to an invitation for Rob to present “LGBTTIQQ2 (AKA non-hetero) Fiction” at the Burnaby Public Library in September. His session was prefaced with an exploration of Queer terminologies. Following the presentation, he discussed the historical transition of Queer literature and offered his literature recommendations for material reflecting diverse juvenile gender identities and young adult sexual identities. He also shared suggestions for online resources and bibliographic reference guides.
YAACS collaborated with the LGBTQ Interest Group and the Intellectual Freedom Committee to co-host the event. A more detailed report can be found on the BCLA Browser: http://bclabrowser.ca/index.php/browser/article/view/458
The full presentation was recorded and is available on Youtube:
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1cZzDHraCQ&feature=context-gau
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG2cqQPTyls&feature=context-gau
On November 15, 2012, the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies, the iSchool at The University of British Columbia, hosted the grand opening of a new research space for students and faculty, the Roberta F. Greig Research Laboratory. This event also acknowledged the launch of the iSchool brand at SLAIS.
Construction of the new research laboratory space was funded by a bequest from Roberta Ferguson Greig, a long-time supporter of public libraries who retired in 1991 as branch manager for a small community public library on Vancouver Island. She passed away in 2009. The new space includes a 300-square-foot research studio and an office for research assistants. At the grand opening, iSchool Director Dr. Caroline Haythornthwaite noted the new space is in support of the School’s goal to foster a research perspective in its students and graduates, and underscores the importance of research thinking as necessary skills for management of future needs, growth and change in information, and to guide institutional practice. “It’s great that professors and GAAs now have a space and some technology solely dedicated to research,” says recent MLIS graduate Alice MacGougan of her use of the lab as a Graduate Academic Assistant for Dr. Eric Meyers and Dr. Lisa Nathan.
In 2011, the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies at UBC officially joined the iSchool collective of information schools, which Dr. Haythornthwaite characterizes as “focus[ing] on the intersection of information, technology and people, doing so by drawing on a broad interdisciplinary approach to these phenomena, the relationship between them, and the interplay with culture and human endeavour.” As part of this designation, the School has launched a new look to its logo to incorporate the iSchool brand.
Attendees of the launch enjoyed a wine-and-cheese spread and mingled while perusing research posters prepared by faculty and their research assistants.
Two iSchool faculty members have been featured this month in two different University of British Columbia publications, available in both print and online editions.
Professor Judith Saltman, who chairs our multidisciplinary Master of Arts in Children’s Literature degree program, offers her thoughts on young adult fiction and its appeal in an interview feature in the December 2012 edition of UBC Reports, a publication for the 50,000 members of the UBC Community, as well as the wider community in Vancouver and British Columbia.
Assistant Professor Eric Meyers is interviewed The Changing Library, a feature that examines how libraries are positioning themselves by focusing on services, spaces and technology as well as content. The article in published in the fall/winter edition of Trek Magazine, published and delivered to UBC alumni.
Our thanks to both faculty members for taking the time to be interviewed for these high profile publications within the UBC community.
The iSchool@UBC is pleased to announce that students enrolled in the Dual program may now participate in the school’s First Nations Curriculum Concentration (FNCC). The change follows the revision to the MAS core coursework, permitting greater flexibility in course selection, including external courses. For further information about the concentration please visit the FNCC webpage http://www.slais.ubc.ca/programs/first-nationS.htm.
